


Talk to Me

by McCreess (wrasslesmut)



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: But they're going to work on it, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, They're awful communicators, pre!fall
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 08:04:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14637591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrasslesmut/pseuds/McCreess
Summary: “No vacation? You both have plenty of time saved up, I thought it’d be going towards something.”“The last time we tried for a vacation was our honeymoon and we didn’t even make it onto the plane, Jack.”--Overwatch and the work they did was too important to fall to the sidelines.But that didn't stop her from wanting a vacation. Or time with her husband that wasn't spent while sleeping.Something had to give, and she dearly hoped it wasn't their marriage.But Overwatch has some intelligent leadership, they'll figure out a compromise.





	Talk to Me

**Author's Note:**

> For reading simplicity:   
> Catalina's maiden name is Vasquez, and she's still called by that name within Overwatch for simplicity's sake.

They’d been married for two years today, she thinks with a sigh as she stares at their wedding photo that sat on her desk, and not once had they actually gone somewhere or did something just for them. She couldn’t even count their honeymoon, because they didn’t even get to board the plane to Costa Rica due to him getting a call about an emergency raid Blackwatch needed to carry out. Their jobs kept them busy, which she acknowledged when they sat down to discuss expectations of a relationship versus what was their current friends with benefits situation. But due to that conversation, where they were both extremely clear in saying that they both understood that sometimes the job would have to come first due to the nature of Overwatch and the high stakes work that both Blackwatch and Spec Ops took part in, she wasn’t sure that she had any right to complain about them never going out.

So she sat in her office, looking at their wedding photo as she tossed a baseball in the air, wishing that she was somewhere tropical with her husband instead of in her office. He, of course, wasn’t even on base. Something about bringing in a suspected terrorist tied to Talon, she didn’t quite remember because it was two in the morning when he pulled himself out of bed, kissing her forehead before giving her the mission details as he got dressed. Maybe there was a promise to be back before the day was over, but she couldn’t remember so she wouldn’t be upset if he wasn’t home. 

“Am I interrupting, Vasquez?” The gruff voice of the Strike Commander pulled Vasquez from her thoughts, to which she looked at the blonde with a small smile.

“Just my dreams of being on a tropical beach instead of this office.” She answered honestly, getting a chuckle from Jack as he sat down in the chair in front of her desk. “What brings you to Spec Ops on this fine summer day?”

“An apology,” He answered; leaning his forearms on her desk as she rose an eyebrow, still her relaxed position leaning back in her office chair with her feet crossed at the ankle and resting on her desk. “I know today is your anniversary, Cat, and Gabe’s out on a mission. You can take the rest of the day if you wanted to.”

“No point in taking the day if he’s not here to spend it with me.” She denied, shrugging her shoulders as Jack let out a sigh. “It’s no big deal, I didn’t really have high expectations for today anyway.”

“It’s your anniversary, though.”

“And we’re both highly devoted to our careers, Jack. At most we probably would’ve gone to lunch and dinner together, because we don’t have time for anything else.”

“No vacation? You both have plenty of time saved up, I thought it’d be going towards something.”

“The last time we tried for a vacation was our honeymoon and we didn’t even make it onto the plane, Jack.” She reminded, to which the blonde rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s really fine. I’ve got Spec Ops and he’s got the Blackwatch crew to watch over. My next mission is supposed to be running recon in Brazil, so that’ll be fun.”

“Cat-“

“It’s fine, Jack. Really.” Only it wasn’t fine. She knew that he knew her well enough to know just what the word “fine” meant. It could honestly be used as code among the four pillars of Overwatch leadership that were Morrison, Amari, Reyes, and Vasquez. “Fine” meant “this is bullshit, but we’ll manage somehow”, and that was just how it worked out. “Fine” meant that they didn’t want anyone to worry or put too much thought into it.

“Cat, talk to me.”

“It’s nothing, Jack.” She excuses, amber eyes cold as ever, until she sees in his baby blues that he’s not asking as the Strike Commander. He’s asking as _Jack_ , the best man at her wedding and eventual godfather to her children. It’s then that she relaxes, tension leaving her shoulders as she lets out another sigh and tries to keep the tears at bay. “I just… I miss my husband, Jack. I miss Gabe, but we’re both so busy that the most we get is seeing each other in bed or over holoscreens at meal times.”

“Stupid question that I probably know the answer to: have you _talked_ to him?”

“I signed up for this, Jack, we both did. I don’t think I can complain if I knew going into this as two division leaders that our time would be stretched.”

“There’s a difference between ‘stretched’ and what’s happing now, and you know that.” He reasoned, earning himself another sigh from the Captain as she looked up to the ceiling. She was tearing up now, and he moved to make sure the door was locked behind them to avoid any of their subordinates coming in to see her in such a vulnerable state. “You know if this is hurting you, it’s hurting him too and you just need to talk to him before it becomes a huge, marriage-ending, problem.”

“But I don’t want him to feel guilty, and you know he’ll cop the blame which isn’t fair to him at all but-" 

“But that’s Gabe and he’ll take the fall for anybody he cares about, even if it’s an equal issue he’s sharing with his wife.” Jack added, taking her hand in his and giving a gentle squeeze. “You have to talk to him, Cat, for the sake of your marriage.”

“I just don’t know how, if I can’t even see him in person for longer than five minutes before one of us has to leave to get to the next dropship.”

“You’re not going to Brazil, then.”

“Excuse me?”

“Ana can lead the recon mission while you take some much-needed PTO.” He decided, and she knew by his tone that his decision was final, and she’d have to see it as a gift from the Strike Commander and not a punishment (regardless of how excited she was to go to Brazil). “She wants more field time anyway, so it works. But you need the time with Gabe, and he needs the time with you. You’re going to learn to take time off, even if it kills me.”

“Yes, Sir, Strike Commander Morrison.” She chirped, saluting the man as he stood from the chair.

“Fuck you,” He chuckled, shaking his head as he made his way to the door and unlocked it. “Last time I do anything nice for you.”

“You don’t mean that, Jackie,” She called as he left, leaving the door open to signal that she was technically available should somebody need her. Realistically, she was only available for about forty-five minutes, because she had to meet with Ana and Jack so the trio could talk a “ground team” of recruits through a payload escort mission simulation.

But her holopad pinged in a unique pattern, meaning that her husband was calling, so she ran to shut the door again before rushing back to her desk to answer the call.

“Hola, mami, happy anniversary!” He grinned, and she couldn’t help but grin at how happy he was despite looking absolutely exhausted.

“Happy two years, papi!” She giggled, blowing a kiss to her screen that he “caught” and pressed to his chest. “How’s the mission?”

“Clean in-and-out, we should be back by 2200.” He informed, and she was relieved to hear that things were going well, and his team was unharmed. “When do you ship out for Brazil?”

“I’m not,” She responded simply, shrugging her shoulders when he raised an eyebrow at her statement. She didn’t want to have the “we’re not spending enough time together” talk via holoscreen while they were in different countries, so the reason for her being pulled would have to wait.

“Is everything okay? You’re not hurt are you, Cat?”

“Gabe, it’s a just a conversation that we need to have in person.”

“Are you pregnant?”

“What?” She asked quickly, in perfect unison with both Jesse and Genji (who could now be seen looking over their Commander’s shoulders. “No, Gabe, I’m not pregnant. Hello, boys.”

“Hey darlin’!” Jesse greeted, grin on his face as Genji waved to the Captain before Gabriel shooed them away. It was back to be just them (as close to that as they could with him being on a dropship), and he could tell that she deflated a little bit.

“Are you mad at me?” Gabriel asked quietly, to which Cat shook her head with a smile. “Because me being gone today is Jack’s fault. If he didn’t make it sound like an emergency, I’d be in your office with lunch and roses right now.”

“I know, he stopped by my office to apologize for it.” She informed, pushing her hair back before stretching her neck. “We can get into the finer details when you get home; but, in short, I wanted to spend more time with you, and Ana wanted some field time. Life works out.”

“But you were stoked for Brazil, cariño.”

“Maybe we can plan a trip, then?” She suggested, smile returning to her face when he nodded. “You’ve always wanted to go, and I’m certain it’ll be much more fun if we aren’t working.”

“I dunno, Cat. Blackwatch work has been piling up a lot these days.” There it was. Blackwatch was taking priority over their relationship and simply spending time together. She understood, but that didn't mean she liked it.

“Gabe…” She trailed off, reminding herself that she _didn’t want to have this talk over a holoscreen_. “Fuck it, then, I guess."

“Cat, it’s not that I don’t want to-“

“That’s kinda what it feels like though, Gabe.” She cut him off, running her hand through her hair with a sigh. “I know that we’re both very dedicated to our jobs and all, but eventually we have to take a break and actually spend time together when we’re actually conscious. I miss you, Gabe, and this ‘being married but literally never seeing you’ thing is getting old.”

“Catalina, mi amor, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Gabriel asked, to which she only raised an eyebrow as she kept her stare deadpan. “Right, never seeing each other, never mind that one. Cariño, we’ll work this out, I promise.”

“I didn’t want to have this conversation over a holoscreen, Gabe, much less on our anniversary.”

“I know, it’s why you gave up Brazil, yeah?”

“More like Jack made the decision for me, but that’s not important right now. I’ll have something hot and ready for you and the boys when you get back.” She assured with a smile, thinking that she’d go the easy route and just make enchiladas now that she’d mastered Gabe’s recipe. 

“You’re an angel,”

“Gotta take care of my man and my boys.”

“I’m a man, Cat!” Jesse called in his defense, to which the couple shook their heads with identical smiles.

“Hush, mijo,” They spoke in unison, to which Jesse let out a grunt and Genji could be heard chuckling in the background.

“How long do I have you for?” Gabe asked softly, scratching at his cheek where the stubble was growing in.

Catalina hummed as she checked her watch, frowning at the time and giving Gabriel an answer: not long. “I’ve got to leave in about fifteen minutes; I’m guiding some recruits through a payload escort mission with Jack and Ana later today.”

“Kings Row?”

 “I think so? It’s just a sim but these are some mousy recruits so it'll be interesting.”

“Just yell at them.” He suggested, to which she rolled her eyes. She liked being the stern in appearance but actually nice and supportive Captain. It made the recruits question whether or not she was really in a relationship with their husband and that was funny to her.

“Yeah, I’m not you so I wouldn’t do it right.” She excused, getting a shrug and a chuckle out of her husband. “And I like it when they try to figure out if-slash-how we’re together.”

“That is fun,” Gabe agreed, scratching at his cheek again. The stubble was really irritating him, she observed, but she knew that he had been sporting this specific goatee look for years and always made sure that he had time to shave in the morning.

“I bet if you ask Genji really nicely, he’ll shave your face for you.” She suggested, half-jokingly, and he chuckled as he willed himself to stop scratching at his cheeks for the time being. 

“If I ask _you_ really nicely would you shave my face for me?” He asked, grinning when she nodded with a small smile until the door to her office was pushed open.

“Captain Vasquez!” The rookie was relatively new to her division, Collins might have been his name, and she knew he was just sent out on his first mission but they shouldn’t have returned yet. They should still be doing basic recon at this point, if she recalled correctly.

“Report?” She asked, smiling apologetically to her husband before looking the rookie in the eye.

“Mission went south from touchdown, ma’am.”

“Casualites?” God, she hoped the answer was no. Talking to families was her  _least_ favoratie part of the job and eventually Jack was going to stop doing it for her. 

“None, ma’am, but everyone is real banged up. Jenks almost didn’t make it but thank god for Doctor Ziegler.”

“You’ve been checked out?” She asked, sitting up straighter and absently playing with a pen that sat on her desk. The rookie only nodded, and she saw the bandaging on his forearms and right hand. “Good, I need a report on my desk by the end of the day.” 

“Can do, ma’am.”

“You’re dismissed. Get some rest, kid.” She requested, smile on her face as the rookie saluted her before making his leave.

She looked to the small stack of active Spec Ops missions, finding the one that Collins (she was proud that she remembered his name) was placed on and reading through the brief quickly. It was just supposed to be simple recon; placing cameras and sensors to monitor activity before the a Blackwatch or Strike Team was sent in to clean house. Was her intel off on the location? Did they get sent in too early? How die she let this-

“Cat.” Gabriel spoke up, bringing her attention from the folder and back to the holoscreen where he was watching her with worried eyes. “What happened?” 

“I don’t even know. A simple recon mission went to shit from the second the team arrived, but this team wasn’t supposed to make any contact with anybody. Touchdown, watch for a couple days, place the sensors and cameras, then get the hell out of dodge.” She responded, biting her lip as she tapped her pen against the desk. “The _only_ way this could have gone so wrong so fast was if they knew we were coming. But I’m going to wait until I get that report before I jump to conclusions.”

“That’s my girl. You know Blackwatch can step in if you think there’s a mole.”

“Trust me, if it looks like that I’ll be in your office ASAP, babe.” She murmured, checking her watch and sighing at the time. “I’ve gotta go, I’ll talk to Jack and Ana about this too, for sure. You get in at 2200, yeah?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Gabe confirmed, smiling when she nodded. “Everything will work out, Cat.”

“I know, Gabe. I love you so much, babe, and I’ll see you and the boys at 2200 with some dinner.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Catalina Reyes. I love you, too.” He grinned, watching as she slid into her blue-gray Spec Ops coat. “Be safe,”

“I should be saying that to you, Gabe.” She countered, winking at him before they said their final goodbyes and hung up.

From there she briskly walked out of her office, locking the door behind her, and made her way to the medbay to check in on the team that had just returned. The simulation could start late and could start without her. Jack and Ana would understand that checking in on her team came before a simulation mission that could be done without her. 

“Angela,” She called into the medbay, walking up to the blonde doctor as she scribbled notes on a chart. “How’s my team?”

“They’ll live,” The doctor assured, looking down at the rookie who was currently sedated and had more bandages visible than skin. “Some easier than others. Do we know what went wrong?”

“Not yet, I told Collins to get some rest and to have that report to me by end of day.”

“You fear the worst?”

“Of course I do, when do I not?” Catalina asked, sad smile on her face as she looked around the medbay. “They’re all asleep?”

“I can page you when somebody wakes up and is in condition to speak, if you’d like.”

“That’d be great, Angela. Thanks.” The Captain spoke softly, patting Angela’s arm before making her leave. She wouldn’t be as late as she thought she’d be, after all.

But it was a good thing she was giving up Brazil; because, regardless of the outcome, this was a mess she needed to clean up.   


**Author's Note:**

> Somebody give my girl a vacation, please.


End file.
